Plus, she was theirs now. No matter what she did or where she’d go, she would never escape them. And I understood exactly how scary that would be for her.
I was released from the hospital the following day. We all got together and had lunch with my dad, sans Becky. She made up some excuse about feeling bad. The sharks didn’t force her to join us because none of us wanted her around anyway.
We all went back to Texas and fell into a routine. I went to school, and Deke and Cole went to their classes. The guys were busier than ever with swimming, but I saw Deke every day, even if it was just for an hour. I loved him even more for it. And no one knew anything about what happened in the Lowes estate. I feel like it brought us all even closer. A secret that we will all take to our grave.
“Are you ready?” I ask Austin.
She nods. A huge smile on her face. “Yes.”
It’s New Year’s Eve. Eleven fifty-five to be exact. The middle of the night. Cole and Austin are getting married. In five minutes, the date will change to midnight. It’ll be their one-year anniversary. A new year and she’ll no longer be Austin Lowes. She’ll be Austin Reynolds.
“You look absolutely stunning,” I tell her, running my hands down the black silk dress. It’s got a corset back laced up with a red ribbon. She looks like she belongs on the front cover of a magazine. Cole and Austin aren’t your average couple. And that’s what I love about them so much. They say that opposites attract, but they are a lot alike.
They chose to get married on the hill behind where the Lowes estate once stood. The one that leads up to the abandoned cemetery. Where they first met one year ago tonight.
Austin doesn’t know it, but Cole paid a company to come in and clean the property for their special night. Whoever said he isn’t romantic doesn’t know how much he loves her.
I cried. She cried. I even saw Cole blink rapidly at one point. The guy has a shell that can’t be broken until it involves his sweetheart. The overcast night was dark, and you couldn’t even see the moon, so we decided to light the way with tiki torches. And when they kissed, it started to rain. That quickly turned to snow. It looked like something out of a hauntingly beautiful fairy tale. Her in her black dress and him in his matching tux. And Lilly wore a red dress that made her look every bit of the princess she is. Afterward, we all went back to the clubhouse, and they danced to a song that they chose. It was so them. I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone else who would dance to “I Will Follow You into the Dark,” by Yungblud and Halsey for their wedding song. It was perfect.
My mother asked me to wait until I was twenty-one to marry Deke, but I said fuck that. He proposed the night of my eighteenth birthday, February twenty-third. I married him a week after high school graduation. That was as long as I was willing to put it off. We eloped to a little bed and breakfast. No blood relatives were present, but all the sharks were there. They’re my family now.
We spent two days in bed together. I called and told my father first. He asked us to come home and stay with him for the summer. I told him we would come for a few weeks. I didn’t inform my mother of our nuptials until six months later. She said she hoped it didn’t end like hers to my father. That was as much as I was gonna get out of her.
Her marriage ended to my father ’cause she couldn’t stay faithful. She was like my sister. I’m nothing like them. I understand what I have, and I won’t ever give that up. Deke Biggs is my forever, and I’m his.
THE END FOR NOW … TURN THE PAGE FOR MORE!
This is not the bonus content, but I thought I would add Silence here in the collection as well since it was featured in an Anthology that is no longer available. The bonus content is AFTER this.
SILENCE
I was his dark fantasy.
He was my wildest dream.
Together, we were meant to make the world burn.
CHAPTER ONE
AUSTIN
SLAMMING ON THE brakes, I bring my Range Rover to a stop harder than I intended in the dark parking lot.
Demi, one of my best friends, lets out a grunt as her seat belt locks up across her chest, and Brynn slams her hands on the center console while sitting in the middle seat in the back.
“Sorry,” I mumble, throwing the SUV in park.
“It’s okay.” Brynn’s silver eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror, and she gives me a reassuring smile.
Killing the ignition, I exit, jerking the door closed behind me. I take a deep breath of the cool night air. Closing my eyes, I try not to lose my shit.
I’m pissed at Cole. No surprise there. That man has the power to make me want to set his ass on fire at times. I can loathe him as much as I love him. And that’s a motherfucking lot. For the past two days, I’ve ignored him. He knows I’m pissed, but he hasn’t asked what he did. In Cole’s eyes, he does nothing wrong.
I open my eyes to see Brynn and Demi standing before me. They glance at one another and then back at me. They don’t know what to do or what to say. Demi’s seen this side of me before. She knows that when I get pissed, I need space. But Brynn doesn’t know me all that well. She’s new to being with a Great White Shark. She doesn’t know my crazy exceeds her crazy. Demi’s a close second.
This is what I get, though, for falling in love with a man who would scare even the devil. Cole Reynolds is known as a killer. I am too. We’ve done what must be done with no regrets. No one is perfect.
Without saying another word, they turn and walk toward the entrance of Silence. I follow them.
Once an insane asylum shut down in the eighties, Silence is now the scariest haunted house in Texas. And the best part is that certain attractions stay open year-round. We came here a few weeks before Halloween last year but ended up leaving abruptly. Cole promised to bring me back, but that fucker never did.
Most girls would go out and have some drinks when they’re pissed at their man. Maybe get some dinner. But not me. Not my girls. Demi is always up for anything scary, and Brynn works here. So tonight, after arranging for a babysitter for Lilly, I called my girls up and said I was coming to get them, and here we are.
“Here.” Brynn hands me some tickets. “I had extras in my purse. And I also have passes for the blackout attraction …”
I stop walking. “What?” That’s what I wanted to do last year. They give you glow sticks to try to navigate your way out of the underground tunnels previously used to transport the dead bodies from one facility to another. And you have to sign a waiver ’cause they’re allowed to touch you. Sounds right up my alley.
Perfect.
Throwing my arm over her shoulders, I finally smile for the first time in two days. “You’re the best.”
I like her. We haven’t known her long. But ever since Brynn started hooking up with Shane, one of Cole’s best friends, Demi and I have spent a lot of time with her.
Pulling out my phone, I let my fingers fly over the keys, knowing what I must do. Cole knows exactly which of my buttons to press to set me off, and I know his. Once done, I hold up my phone. “Say Silence.” I snap a selfie after they finish laughing and upload it.
“Wait …” Demi watches what I’m doing. “I thought Cole deactivated your Facebook?”
“He did.” I smile. “I just reactivated it.”
Brynn’s brows rise. “Shane said that Cole doesn’t use social media. That the only reason he has his was for a dare.”
Something like that. I tag Demi since I’m not friends with Brynn on there yet and then pocket my phone. “He doesn’t, but Deke does.”
And just as I expected, Demi’s phone begins to ring. She holds it up to show me it says My Dirty Shark on the screen. It has a picture of them kissing. She turns it off and pockets the phone.
Brynn opens her mouth to speak, but her phone goes off.
“Going to answer that?” Demi asks with a smile.
“Nope.”
_______________
We make our way across the gravel parking lot, through the entrance, and over to the
tunnels, filling out the waivers relieving Silence of any liability. I guess in case a guy dressed as Jason follows us and one of us falls, breaking an ankle, they don’t want to be held responsible. It’s probably happened before. They also requested our driver’s license number and tag number. Not sure what that’s for, but whatever.
“How many are in your group?” the man asks, standing at the entrance of the black double doors with two clipboards in his hands.
“The three of us,” Brynn answers.
The guy looks over our heads and lifts a hand, motioning for others in line to join us. I look over my shoulder to see three guys who look in their early twenties walk up to the entrance. One has his eyes on Demi’s jean-clad ass. The other is typing away on his phone, and the third winks at me.
“They will go with you,” the man states.
Turning back, I face the worker dressed as a clown—a hideous one, I might add. He doesn’t even have the signature red lips. And not to mention, he’s missing his wig. He doesn’t deserve this job. I could scare the shit out of these people with the Halloween decorations I have in my attic alone. I know they do the job when it comes to Deke, Cole’s other best friend, because he hates them. I find it quite funny when he comes home and squeals like a little bitch. I hid my witch under his bed after Halloween. I can’t wait until the day he looks under there and finds it.
I ask. “Can just the three of us go together?”
“No …” He looks down at the paperwork in his hand. “Austin.” He reads my signature. “We do six or eight at a time.”
“But …”
“What’s wrong, baby? We won’t bite you,” one of the guys says behind us. His friends laugh.
My jaw tightens, and I let out a long breath. Do not go crazy, Austin. You’re out here to have fun, not get thrown in jail. Wouldn’t that just be my luck? Me having to call Cole to come and pick me up? Fuck that shit! I’d call Deke before I’d call Cole to bail me out.
Brynn finishes signing her waiver and hands it to the clown. He nods and then steps aside. “You’ll need to know the safe word,” he says.
“I’ve never used a safe word.” Brynn smiles sweetly. “I prefer it rough.”
Demi and I both chuckle at that. Leave it to Brynn to lighten my foul mood.
“It’s hard to shout a safe word when you’re gagged,” a guy adds from behind us, and his buddies laugh.
And my mood sours again. Fuck, sometimes I hate men. What made him think we were talking to them?
Even the pathetic excuse of a clown laughs with him. “Grab a glow stick out of the bowl when you enter.” He throws his white-painted face back, giving a horrific attempt at his impression of an evil laugh. “And make sure to stick together.”
I stomp through the doors and into a narrow passageway. It leads you down a dimly lit set of stairs. I count fifteen steps before we hit the landing. A table sits to the right with a black tablecloth over it and a glass bowl in the center. It reminds me of the one the sharks used to draw their dares from back in Collins, Oregon. Before I knew who they really were—a group of boys on the swim team who were known as the Great White Sharks playing deadly games.
Demi and Brynn grab theirs, and one of the guys comes up beside me. “Here you go, baby.” He hands me a glow stick. I glare up into his brown eyes as I reach around him and grab my own.
“I like a woman who wants to do things for herself.” He chuckles.
“Pretty sure they call them feminists.” Another one snorts. “And you wanna stay away from them. They want equality and shit.”
“Yes, please. Stay the hell away from us,” Demi tells him with the “fuck you” smile she gives so well.
Brynn laughs, and I can’t help but smile at Demi. I just love her to pieces.
We hook our arms together. The waiver we signed said that we won’t need the glow sticks until we near the end of the attraction. Of course, it wasn’t even what I thought it was going to be. It said blackout attraction online. I want the pitch black and frightening shit. This is practically a hallway with lights.
“Do I even want to know what Cole did?” Demi asks as we walk down the silent tunnel. There’s no Halloween music playing softly like there was in the haunted house when we were here last. It irritates me even more. Scariest haunted house in Texas, my ass.
“No.” I sigh. The truth is, she already knows. She was the one who told me, even if she doesn’t realize it. And I don’t want her to feel bad for bringing up something she thought I already knew.
“Well, I hope you make him pay,” Brynn chimes in.
Oh, he’s paying right now. Cole hates being ignored. He hates being outplayed. And he knows that even on my bad days, I can take him on.
As we get farther into the tunnel, it gets darker. The white lights that run along the ceiling become red ones that hang on the walls. Smoke fills the confined space, covering our feet as if it’s coming from the floor, making visibility nonexistent.
The red lights begin to flash, and then everything goes completely black.
“Son of a bitch.” I hiss, coming to a stop.
“This better not be like last time.” Demi sighs. “Brynn, is this supposed to happen?”
“I’m not sure. They always change it up, and this is my first time this year.”
“It said at the end,” Demi growls. “It can’t be over already …”
You hear the smoke machine hiss as it lets out more smoke, and a cold chill runs up my back. Blue lights come on, lighting up the narrow hallway. Brynn gasps and jumps back as we spot men now lined up against the walls. Five on either side. They’re all dressed in black cloaks with hoods on. A black mask covers their faces, and they stand perfectly still.
One of the guys with our group runs into the back of me, shoving me forward.
“Hey, watch where you’re going,” I snap, looking over my shoulder.
The guy throws his hands up and smirks at me.
Squaring my shoulders, I begin to walk forward. One of the guys in a cloak jumps out at me, his hands hit my shoulders, and he shoves me backward. “What the …?”
I hit the guy behind me, and his hands grip my hips. “Don’t fucking touch me!” I shout.
“Hey, you ran into me,” he starts, but he doesn’t remove his hold on me.
Demi grips my arm and yanks me free. “Bastard,” she hisses.
“Fucker,” I mumble.
“You signed the waiver that they could touch you,” the guy calls out.
“Them. Not you,” I snap.
We come to the end of the men lining both walls on either side of us, and the tunnel takes a hard curve to the right. The scene changes from smoke and blue lights to dark green bulbs and chains hanging from the now very low ceiling. I go to push them out of my way, but they don’t budge. I look down to see they are pulled tight and bolted to the concrete floor. You have to turn sideways from left to right in order to maneuver your way through them.
Something touches my thigh, and my head whips around to see the guy on my ass. I shove him in the chest.
“Hey …” He stumbles back.
My eyes narrow on him. Is he drunk? “I’m not going to tell you again to quit fucking touching me.” This guy is really testing me. And today is not the day.
He licks his lips, and his brown eyes fall to my thighs. I’m wearing black yoga pants with a white T-shirt that has an open shark mouth on it that reads eat me in red. Deke got it for me for Christmas. I have no makeup on, and my hair is up in a messy bun. I did not come out tonight to impress anyone. I’m out with my girlfriends because I’m pissed at my husband, and this guy is about to get my foot up his ass. “Hey! I’m talking to you!”
His brown eyes make their way up to mine. “I know, but with a body like that, I can’t resist.”
This motherfucker! “You—”
“Come on, Austin.” Demi interrupts me and grabs my hand. Then she whispers in my ear, “Let’s lose them.”
Brynn takes my other hand and
pulls me out of that scene. Their laughter carries down the tunnel until it just stops.
We come to an opening; the narrow passage widens to what looks to be the original concrete walls of the tunnel. With stuff written on the wall in fake blood. You’ll die here. Don’t look behind you. Hell is waiting for you.
I snort at the last one. If only they knew that I married the devil.
A hand grips my ass, and my teeth grind. I’ve had enough. I spin around, lift my hand and go to slap the motherfucker, but he’s faster. He catches my wrist, and his fingers tighten. I look up into a set of familiar blue eyes. “What the fuck, Cole?” I shout and yank out of his hold.
He says nothing. I look around, not seeing the three jackasses who were behind us, but I do see Shane and Deke. Pushing my hip out, I cross my arms over my chest. “Why are you here?”
Shane goes to hug Brynn, but she takes a step back. “I’m mad at you,” she states.
“What did I do?” he asks through a laugh.
She looks at Cole, then back at Shane. “Enough.”
He rolls his eyes, grabs her hand, and yanks her down a small hallway off to the left that had spiderwebs covering the entrance. Her laughter follows, and I know I’ve lost her.
Cole stands before me in a pair of blue jeans and a plain black T-shirt. His dark hair is spiked, and his face is clean shaven. His hands are tucked in the pockets of his jeans. His face is devoid of any emotion, but I know he’s mad at me. The tic in his chiseled jaw gives him away. Too bad I don’t give a fuck.
Demi hooks her arm into mine and spins us around. She tosses her hair over her shoulder, and we begin walking again.
“Cute, princess,” Deke calls out to her with a chuckle.
We both ignore him. There’s an opening over to the right, and we take it. The walls look made of human bones. Demi reaches out with her free hand and runs her fingers along them.
I look over my shoulder and see nothing. They’re not following us, which could only mean one thing. They’re up to something. “Motherfucker.” I hiss.
DARE SERIES COLLECTION Page 90
